The Library at Mount Char

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Possibly due to growing up with Doctor Who, possibly due to just me being a fairly eclectic individual, I’ve never cared too much about genre boundaries. Oh, there are times I might fancy a change of setting, and might swap modern day horror for dystopia, or exchange some traditional space sf for a bit of high fantasy, but that is just another destination for my literary Tardis and sooner or later I know I’ll be setting the randomiser and be off somewhen else. Naturally, this also means that I have a distinct fondness for books which don’t fit easily into one category or another.

Let’s say you’ve experienced something weird that is difficult to articulate, but you really enjoyed it. So, you want to recommend it to people because you think they’ll dig it. But, the more you try to explain it and what you liked about it, the less likely they are to want to give it a shot, because it really is weird. And violent. And graphic. And mind-bendy. And kind of gross. And perplexing. And unusual. And sometimes a little bit funny. And sometimes a little bit dark. And sometimes a little confusing. And even a little non-sensical. And, so, when you describe it, people might be like, “Whoa, easy there, Tiger—I’m not into things that are simultaneously weird and violent and graphic and mind-bendy and gross and perplexing and unusual and a little bit funny and a little bit dark and a little confusing and a little non-sensical. I prefer cats, though whether they’re alive or dead, I don’t care.”The writing was pretty good and there was a surprising amount of humor. I thought the scheme the mastermind pulled off was very well done. The old man's eyes went distant for a moment, trying to remember how he knew that name. He thought about it for a while, then gave up. Carolyn might have told him that he could drive by Garrison Oaks four times a day every day for a thousand years and still not remember it, but she didn't.

Thanks, Kelley, for recommending this book to me. I didn't know it even existed until I got your recommendation. Lately, I've seen this book, with an interesting synopsis, reviewed by fellow Goodreads members, so I put a hold on it for Fantasy Month. After several decades of learning their assigned catalog, Father goes missing, and a mysterious trap settles around the Library that causes severe harm (and probably death) to any who get too close. Carolyn and her “family” must find a solution. The knowledge in the Library is vast enough for someone to be a God and truly rule the world; it must be reclaimed before Father’s enemies can take control of it. I think, if one makes The Library at Mount Char into a metaphor for reality, it fills the same role, in a modern way, as those more ancient stories.OMG! This uniquely creative story is pushing me to be a fan of this genre! When a fantastical cult of badass "librarians" is making trouble within the real world, you can bet that a whole lot of shaking is going on! With such an original plot line, I could not predict the ending (even though I tried!); children are abducted by a powerful man and are tasked with learning his collected knowledge of the earth's secrets. In the years since then, Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.